


Beyond the Midday Sun

by MimikoFlamemaker



Category: TOLKIEN J. R. R. - Works & Related Fandoms, The Lord of the Rings (Movies), The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types, The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fluff, I'm Bad At Tagging, Romance, Will Add As Needed, eventual NSFW
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-17
Updated: 2018-04-17
Packaged: 2019-03-20 12:23:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,665
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13717626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MimikoFlamemaker/pseuds/MimikoFlamemaker
Summary: An elf only loves truly for once in his life. Galaren thinks this to be nothing, but a fallacy – he found plenty of women attractive and many of them thought him so in return. He never had any troubles with finding a partner on those rare occasions he had wished to indulge. That perception changes when he meets the woman that not only politely rejects him, but makes him work for her attention. And he never backs out of the challenge.Or a story about how two wonderful idiots fell in love. This is me filling my LotR AU with more content and playing with canon. But mostly indulging whatever headcanons I came up with so far.





	1. A Day Like Any Other

**Author's Note:**

  * For [chenria](https://archiveofourown.org/users/chenria/gifts).



> Happy Birthday Chen!

_T.A. 2512, Loth Lórien_

  
The Sun was filtering through the leaves, filling the air with blinking shadows. The path, winding between the trees, was either barely visible or completely overgrown at times. She wondered, not for the first time today, how the couriers didn’t get lost – wherever she looked, everything was green and fresh. The dense forest around didn’t provide many clues to help her orient herself, except for occasional fallen tree or a speck of bright, golden leaves where the mallorn grew.

  
Well, maybe that was enough for them – they probably knew every rock on these roads by now.

  
At least she was lucky enough to be able to read maps with ease. And the one she nicked from the archives was a great help.

  
She shifted slightly in the saddle, searching for a more comfortable way to sit. She couldn’t remember when was the last time she had spent a better part of the day on horseback, but she could clearly feel that time in her sore muscles right now.

  
She would have completely missed the camp if she wasn’t told what to look for. A good memory for her father’s teachings was also helpful – considering the amount of time she usually spent out in the wilderness, she would have probably got lost without that bit of knowledge.

  
Now however, she could see the white patches of tents poking between the thick undergrowth. The wind brought over the faint scent of a burning wood and, when she cared to strain her ears a bit, she could catch a quiet murmur of voices within the camp.

  
After a moment of consideration she dismounted, pulling her horse along by the reins. Barging into the camp just like that, might be seen as rude. She did that in the first one she visited and the looks she received were rather telling. It probably had more to do with the fact that no one knew her, then the way she arrived, but still, she had no desire to insult anyone, if only by accident.

  
The hem of her dress caught onto the nearby bush and she snatched it back with an irritated huff. She should have at least changed her clothes before leaving the city, but she wasn’t given much time to prepare. Nor an option to refuse. She barely managed to step into the archives, when the satchel was all but thrust into her hands and she was being ushered back out of the door.

  
Important reports, they said. No time to wait for a free courier.

  
She couldn’t remember a single time when those reports where anything else than important. But she was dutiful. And committed to her job. So there she was.

  
Maybe she shouldn’t have admitted out loud that she enjoyed horse riding. Yet, after the whole day in the saddle, she was starting to doubt that.

  
This was the last camp she was told to visit though, so at least she will be back in the city soon.

  
She barely passed the circle of tents when her horse decided to snort, making her flinch. It was enough to attract the attention of the few elves that were currently sitting around the small fire, busy with fletching arrows. The sight of her was an obvious surprise, even if it was quickly exchanged for the looks of curiosity. One of the wardens put away his work and approached her; a tall ellon with sleek black hair and rather striking blue eyes.

  
‘Welcome, my lady’ he said, bowing politely. ‘My name is Maethion. May we help you in anyway?’ he smiled. His comrades weren’t even trying to hide the fact that they were watching them. Some of the elves milling about the camp were also glancing in their direction.

  
‘Of course. My name is Celume and I have some reports I was instructed to deliver to captain…’ he searched for the name. She took pride in her memory usually, but the list dumped on her just a few hours ago was extensive and full of other details. ‘Galaren. Can you please show me, where can I find him?’

  
She tried to ignore the scrutiny and was mostly successful. Her voice sounded nearly as confident as she tried to make it.

  
If she had ever wanted to become a courier, she would have applied for the job on her own, instead of waiting for such opportunities to fall into her lap.

  
The warden smiled a bit wider and suddenly, there was a gentle pressure against her elbow, turning her around.

  
She almost didn’t notice him move.

  
‘With pleasure, my lady. If you would follow me…’

  
As if she had anything to say in the matter. She barely had the time to glance around at her horse, which was already munching on the patch of grass, unbothered by the curious glances. For a moment she wished to be able to borrow some of its stoic nature. The urge to push his arm off of her elbow was short lived, quickly dying down to only a minor irritation. She wasn’t used to being manhandled like that, even if the gesture stemmed from a simple courtesy. The warden however, must have sensed her unease, because the pressure on her arm disappeared completely.

  
Maethion led her towards the tent no different from the others, except the fact, that the entrance flap was pulled to the side in order to allow the light and the breeze in. From this angle she couldn’t see much of the interior of the tent, but they soon turned and she could easily make out the silhouette of the ellon, with his legs draped lazily across the table as he was busy reading something.

  
Celume stared.

  
  
The first thing Galaren noticed when he glanced up from the report in his hands, was an idiotic grin plastered to Maethion’s face. Not that he wasn’t already used to seeing it, but this time he could easily identify the source of such disposition. He flicked his eyes back towards the elleth that accompanied him and smiled to himself. Everything, from the long, trailing hem of her green dress to the loose, blonde hair tumbling around her shoulders in waves proved, how much out of place she was.

  
He could read the same thing from the expression she wore – wide eyes, slightly parted lips, she was clearly out of her element, if not a little bit uncomfortable – before she schooled her face into something more neutral.

  
And yet she was here, in the middle of his camp, striding toward his tent with purpose that belied her attire.

  
That in itself was interesting enough. He put away the paperwork, pulled his legs off the table, seated himself a little straighter and waited for them too approach.

  
  
Upon entering the tent Celume first focused on the smells. A curious blend of cured leather, weapon oil, paper and ink – certainly not a thing one would expect. Then she risked a quick glance around the tent.

  
Anything that helped her to avoid looking directly at him.

  
She noticed two narrow beds, placed on either side of the entrance to the tent. She got a glimpse of something that looked like an apothecary table, filled with bottles and jars the contents of which she couldn’t even begin to guess. The table that served as the captain’s desk, was pushed near the opposite wall – an elegant piece of furniture, carved with great detail from dark, shiny wood. The surface was littered with papers, some still rolled, some opened and carelessly discarded. Celume’s hands itched with the need of bringing some order into the heap of documents. Behind his shoulder, she could see a piece of a shelf, its contents just as dishevelled as those on the table.

  
‘Captain, this is lady Celume’ the ellon beside her announced. She felt his hand resting against the small of her back, gently pushing her forward. She was so surprised, she almost tripped over her skirts.

  
‘I believe she has something for you’ Maethion smirked, ignoring the silent warning that was plain on the other ellon’s face. ‘I’ll be outside to escort the lady to her horse, once her business is concluded.’

  
‘That won’t be necessary’ Galaren said, waving the other ellon off. ‘Go back to your duties.’

  
Celume closed her eyes. She would have cursed, if it wouldn’t make her appear like a complete fool.

  
The pressure on her back was gone as fast as it appeared, and the warden left without making a single, unnecessary sound. She glanced after him and she was almost certain, that Maethion was grinning.

  
She wasn’t sure in the middle of what she had found herself, but she surely didn’t like it. It seemed a lot, like someone was having fun at her expense.

  
‘Lady Celume is it?’ the captain spoke, almost making her jump. ‘Will you please take a seat and tell me what brings you here?’

  
She took a few steps toward the offered chair, sitting at the edge of it and placing the satchel on her lap. She hoped that the soreness in her legs wasn’t too obvious. Now she no longer had a reason to avoid looking at him and she raised her eyes to his reluctantly, hoping that she will stop herself from blushing.

  
His voice was a perfect match to the way he looked. She had seen captain Galaren from afar on several occasions, content to nurse her fascination in private. She wasn’t alone in that after all. Almost all other archivists harboured similar feelings, glancing in his direction on those rare occasions when he showed in the archives, summoned for one military meeting or another. Some of them wasn’t even trying to be sneaky about it, showering him with smiles and engaging in mundane conversations on every occasion they got.

  
This close it was quite hard to ignore the obvious reason as to why they were acting this way.

  
He was easily the most handsome ellon she had ever seen. Celume tried to mentally check herself, but it was impossible not to notice every little detail.

  
Two, thin braids pulling his dark hair away from his face. Elegant features. Thin lips, currently bent in a slight smirk, and sharp cheekbones, completed with eyes that were the most peculiar shade of amber – bright enough to appear golden when he stared at the like that.

  
She was well aware that she was the source of that smirk. He had asked her a question and there she was, staring at him dumbly instead of answering.

  
‘Yes, yes of course’ she said quickly, trying to make up for the time she already lost. ‘I was… instructed…’ she reminded herself about the satchel still lying across her lap and fumbled with the buckles. She was making quite the view from herself.

  
She almost sighed in relief, when she finally managed to pull the reports out and present it to the captain.

  
‘Lord Maeron has instructed me to deliver them to you, my lord’ now at least she sounded a bit more like herself.

  
Only to realize, that he was sitting on the opposite side of the table and couldn’t take them from her.

  
Now, she could feel herself blushing.

  
Galaren’s expression did not change. He was still smiling slightly, but there was no way of telling if he was in anyway bothered by her behaviour. She always thought herself good with reading others and their emotions. But she rarely met people with similar level of control over them.

  
He surprised her yet again, when he rose from the chair, walked around the table and gently plucked the papers from her hands. She was ready to slide off the chair and get out of the tent as fast as her legs would carry her.

  
But the curious glance he directed at her had effectively rooted her back to the spot.

  
‘You work in the archives my lady, am I right?’ he asked, looking through the reports he just took from her. ‘I think, I remember seeing you there.’

  
Of course he remembered her. It was hard not to, since she had never spoke with him directly, except for those few times when she offered him a polite greeting. It was quite obvious, that she was trying to avoid attracting attention to herself, achieving instead, quite the opposite. He could understand that – she only wished to be left alone and do her job in peace instead of getting distracted, choosing to be polite rather then tell him off. Still, she was acting different enough from the other ellith in the archives and he was used to pick on such details.

  
And not only that. She possessed the kind of beauty he always found easy to appreciate. One that he would like to get to know better, has she only expressed such interest. Right now however, she seemed more keen on leaving his company, her mind focused on something else since she seemed completely unaware of his question. He leaned forward to catch her attention again.

  
‘Is there a problem, my lady?’

  
‘N… No’ she replied, squirming under his attentive gaze and annoyed that her wits had apparently deserted her today ‘I mean yes. I do work in the archives. I just don't think we were properly introduced to each other my lord.’

  
‘We just were. It is however, rather surprising to see you here. I was expecting a courier’ his eyes scanned over the pages once again quickly, before the papers joined the pile already mounting on the table.

  
Celume frowned.

  
‘Is this something you do with all your letters?’ This was the reason why she had spent the better part of the day on the road? Only to see the reports they diligently put together dismissed with nought but a glance? Or was is something unique only to him? Either way it irked her.

  
Galaren’s smirk broke into a grin, as he folded his arms over his chest and leaned against the table. Apparently she wasn’t as skittish as she at first appeared to be.

  
‘It usually depends on the letters’ he replied, watching the blush rise to the tips of the elleth’s ears. ‘Would you rather have me do that now? When I have such an excellent company to keep?’

  
Celume swallowed. She couldn’t possibly say that out loud, could she? Well, she very obviously did. For a second, she had no idea what to reply; his grin was too distracting. His very presence was too distracting.

  
Still she refused to act like a scatter-brained fool he probably saw in her right now. She stood up, smoothed down her dress, and, finding some deeply hidden reserves of defiance, raised her chin a tad higher than necessary and looked him straight in the eyes.

  
‘I would not have you neglect your work for the sake of entertaining me, my lord’ the elleth retorted. ‘Besides I have my own duties to attend. It was a pleasure meeting you.’

  
He definitely didn’t want to cut the conversation short. It was such a refreshing change from everyday routine.

  
‘The pleasure, my lady, is all mine’ he replied, bowing. ‘If you would allow me to escort you back to your horse…’

  
Celume’s eyes were yet again drawn to his smirking lips. She wanted to refuse.

  
She nodded her assent instead.

  
Galaren’s smile widened, as he gestured towards the entrance of the tent. Celume dropped her eyes to the ground, unaware that she too, was smiling, if only barely. It was impossible not to.

  
She blinked against the bright, midday sun, her eyes quickly adjusting to the change of light. The captain walked next to her, but, unlike the other warden, hadn’t made any attempt to touch her. He was probably used to people following him without question, after being told to.

  
‘Do you often exchange your job at the archives, for the tasks of a courier?’ his voice brought her attention back to him. As if it was anywhere else in a while.

  
‘As often as I have to. The other archivists are not as fond of horse riding’ she replied, belatedly wondering where the words had come from. He didn’t want to know that, probably. ‘But it is not very often, my lord. It was first such day in a long while. Why do you ask, if I may know?’

  
‘I am merely wondering, if there is a chance that I may be seeing you again?’

  
‘Slim, my lord since our duties keep us in different places most of the time’ she replied, knowing it wasn’t true. He will surely attend the approaching annual meeting of the border patrol leaders.

  
She would gladly help with preparing that meeting, she realized. Against her better judgement.

  
Celume could already see her horse and the fire in the middle of the camp. Seeing them approach, one of the wardens came up, grabbed her mare by the reins and pulled her away from the bush she was currently rather interested in.

  
‘As slim as it may be, I would gladly take it’ she almost flinched when his breath fanned her ear. She didn’t notice him leaning in so closely.

  
‘Then I assume you are a man of your word, my lord’ she said, once again trying to look at anything but him.

  
Her eyes were drawn to the other familiar ellon, standing a little further away, next to one of the white tents. This time, he had a companion with him – a tall, lean elleth, with a thick braid of brown hair draped over her shoulder. She was wearing the same garb as the rest of the wardens, momentarily surprising Celume. Maethion was whispering something into her ear, grinning the entire time, while the most of the woman’s face was obscured by his hair.

  
They were seemingly preoccupied with each other. Celume was turning away, when the other elleth straightened and looked up, her eyes instantly drawn to her.

  
Her similarity to the captain – even when one took out fuller lips and eyes that were green rather than amber – was unmistakable. She regarded Celume for a long while, eyes sweeping over her dress and loose hair, before her lips arched into a smile.

  
No one could have ever taken such smile as friendly. She held Celume’s gaze for a few more seconds before she simply turned around and returned to her conversation with Maethion. They were both grinning. It was not difficult to understand, with no small amount of uneasiness, that she was the topic of their discussion.

  
She was promptly distracted from everything by hands closing around her waist and lifting her up. She didn’t even notice, when the eyes of every warden in the vicinity focused on her.

  
It was only for a second though as Celume quickly realized that everyone was looking at her. She tried her best to curb her rising mortification and managed not to fail too much as she was gently set upon the saddle.

  
Galaren on the other hand, only smiled as he glanced up at her, completely uninterested and unbothered by the interest he was receiving.

  
‘You can be sure of that’ he said only loud enough for her to hear, his hands lingering for a moment longer than it was strictly appropriate. She was almost disappointed when they withdrew.

  
‘Thank you for the reports, my lady’ he added, louder this time, patting her horse on the neck. ‘Until our next meeting.’

  
‘Of course’ she replied, glad that her words came out steady. ‘Farewell, my lord’ she wasn’t sure if she had managed to smile in return. She hoped that she had.

  
Even after she had left the camp far behind, the memory of his touch still lingered, tingling as if burned into her skin.


	2. Folly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bit of a "sibling time" to prove they're not always at each other throats...

It was barely dawn when he woke up, the light outside still pale and grey. Barely bright enough to disperse the shadows beneath the trees. The tent itself was even darker, the details difficult to make out, even if his eyes adjusted quickly, taking the sensation away. And with it, his desire to remain in bed for a little while longer.

Galaren sighed and sat up, brushing his hair back behind his ears. There was no use in remaining idle now when the day had started for him. He stood up and stretched, before reaching into the chest at the foot of his bed to get a fresh shirt. As he pulled it on, his eyes were drawn to the figure occupying the other bed.

Since she returned from Rivendell, his sister had spent only a handful of nights sharing his tent. Most of the time she took a guard duty at the border posts and busied herself with any task available during the day. He preferred not to wonder too long about the things she did, when she was neither here nor keeping watch.

Lithien had become obviously distant. Resentful, in a way, even as she pleaded with him to just let her work and give her time. It was difficult to tell from the way she mingled with the rest of his squad; maybe she was just a little less eager to smile. All the rest was right there – the jests, the sparring matches, sharing work without complaint. They very clearly missed her too.

He was aware of the events that finally brought her home. He still found himself wondering if his heart ached more, because of what she went through without him, or because he wanted nothing more than to comfort her and she had denied him that.

She was deeply asleep now, nestled amongst the furs as she lay curled on her side. He reached down and passed his hand through her dishevelled hair, before leaning down and kissing the crown of her head. He could never deny her anything, not even when she was still just a child. Or maybe especially then. Still, if it was distraction she wanted, than he will be glad to provide her with one.

Lithien, for her part, took no notice of his ministrations, drawing a small rueful smile from him. He was probably the only person that could allow himself such a gesture without risking getting stabbed with a knife she most likely had hidden beneath her pillow.

He finished dressing up wondering, whether it should make him proud, or make him regret that he had allowed her to grow up like this.

 

He dismissed the thoughts shortly after and slipped into the crisp morning air outside. It was only a little brighter now. The sky above his head was caught somewhere between a deep, dark blue and a clouded grey. Bright enough to sniffle out stars and yet still not promising dawn.

A prime time to start his morning round, he thought with another sigh.

The camp seemed deserted, except the few guards loitering around the fire. They noticed him approach and looked at each other uncertainly, but he simply waved them off. It was still much too early to be awake. He knew he would much rather still be asleep, as long as there was nothing requiring his immediate attention. And he knew just as well, when a reprimand was due and when it was completely uncalled for. As far as the military went at the very least.

He circled between the tents for a while longer, but it was hard to catch anything amiss at such hour. It was a force of habit mostly – the need to check everything by himself, even if he knew that his men were as loyal as they were brave. And that he would be informed immediately, about everything he needed to know.

And sometimes, even about the things that he wished he was not aware off.

After that, he left the camp and marched towards the edge of the forest and the posts his men had currently occupied. It was a short walk, a little over a mile. He usually made this trip on horseback, but today he appreciated a bit of an extra lost time. He will have plenty of it to get buried in paperwork and planning errands later in the day. It was his duty. One that he accepted and learned to appreciate, in a way. But he wasn’t keen of taking back to it as soon as he woke up.

 

The actual morning found him on the training field, still as far away from the papers mounting on his desk as possible.

This was also where Lithien had found him, approaching so quietly that he wouldn’t have noticed her if it wasn’t for a movement he managed to catch in the corner of his eye. He turned to face her just in time to see her mouth stretching into a mischievous grin.

‘Looks like I need to be a bit more sneaky next time.’

‘You did just fine’ he replied, offering her a smile. ‘I noticed you by accident. What brings you here?’

‘I was simply surprised, not seeing you stranded by your desk when I woke up’ she smiled a bit wider, winding her braid around her head like a crown.

‘Don’t make it seem like I never do anything else’ he ignored her pointedly raised eyebrow. ‘Are you trying out a new way to style your hair?’

‘Not at all’ she shook her head, testing the sturdiness of the hairdo. ‘This is merely a precaution I was forced to make before every sparring match in Rivendell’ she flashed him another grin. ‘It stuck afterwards. And I just reminded myself that we had not done it in a while… Indulge me?’ if she only wanted her eyes could still gain that pleading quality they had when she was but a girl. ‘Since you are obviously looking for a distraction?’ she added, her voice gaining a teasing edge.

‘What was that supposed to mean?’

His answer was the sound of a sword being drawn, the polished steel reflecting sunlight as Lithien assumed her stance, chin raised high in a challenge.

‘Why don’t you make me tell you?’

Galaren frowned. Lithien knew her way with a sword. She had been praised for it, even. But she was never a match for him. And he knew that her stay in Rvendell, while not dulling her desire to fight, had surely dulled her skills. He held his arms away from his body and smiled at her.

‘Can’t we talk about it over breakfast?’

‘I already had one’ she stated. ‘And are you trying to insult me now? What do you think I did all that time in Rivendell?’

There was a quiet fire in her eyes, goading him to speak. Galaren rarely found himself in moments like this, when he didn’t know what to say. But none of the ideas that came to his mind seemed like the right ones.

Lithien decided to answer for him.

‘I am pretty sure I wasn’t only sitting around busying myself with needlework.’

And with that as the only warning, she struck.

She was faster than he had remembered. He dodged, but still felt the flat of the blade tapping his shoulder. He whirled around just in time to see the smug grin blooming on her face, before she came at him again, twisting her hips at almost impossible angle as she swung at him.

He ducked under her sword, trying to build some distance between them. When her sword cut through the air for the third time, it was stopped with his own. A sharp clang echoed through the woods as they stared at each other.

Lithien offered him a sharp flash of teeth.

‘Now, we’re fighting!’

‘Why were you trying to hack my arm off?!’

‘I wasn’t’ her smile turned a little sheepish. ‘But training is useless, if there is not a real threat behind the blows.’

‘And who told you that?’ he groaned, pushing her away and taking a few steps to the side, gaining some distance. He heard her giggling in response.

She did the same, in opposite direction. They circled each other slowly. His eyes were drawn to her feet and the way she kept changing the rhythm of her steps. Distracting him.

‘This is not were your eyes are supposed to be’ came the teasing admonishment, which was surprisingly not followed by the sweep of a sword.

‘When did you become such an expert at sword play?’

‘Lord Glorfindel is no slouch when it comes to training’ she replied, as if that explained everything.

The statement however, gave him a pause. Lithien took one more step to the side and stopped as well, eyeing him curiously.

‘You trained with Glorfindel?’

‘Is that a jealousy I hear, brother dear?’ the elleth clicked her tongue, before letting out a bark of laughter when she noticed his indignant expression.

‘Hardly’ he scoffed, not quite meeting her eyes. It only served to fuel her laughter. ‘I am just surprised that there was no one there to forbid it.’

Glaren was glad when Lithien left to dwell in Rivendell. He missed her company and her support, but the fact that she was away from any danger was much more important. He almost lost her once and didn’t wish to repeat the experience ever again. After a time it even seemed like she started to enjoy her new way of life. He still remembered her letters filled with hope and happiness. She had found everything that she ever wanted – peace, acceptance and love.

And one, fell event had crushed it all and sent her back to him, hurt and angry.

‘Lord Elrond tried’ her response pulled him out from his reverie. ‘But then he understood that it is simply in my nature. And you cannot contest what you are. He just told me take it easy at the beginning. Glorfindel made me realize the same thing. Offered his time and tutoring skills. And honestly? Only a fool would have passed up such an opportunity…’ she pounced forward again.

Strikes came down quickly, each one of them deadly, if he himself was a lesser swordsman. Her movements were elegant and seemed effortless even when she put enough force behind the blow to make it rattle his entire arm. He blocked first two blows, but the next two came in quick succession and he could only dodge, diving under the blade and rolling across the ground.

‘It seems that you were an eager student’ appreciation was clear in his voice, despite his best efforts to look unimpressed.

The hit came seemingly out of nowhere and Galaren parried it with his sword again. It was barely more than a caress though, because Lithien was already whirling backwards, giving him time to stand up.

‘Very much so’ she confirmed, stopping several paces away. ‘And I am happy to see that you find it impressive.’

‘Maybe a little’ he replied, still smiling at her. Then it was his turn to charge forward.

Lithien dodged gracefully, barely stepping out of his way. Before he managed to turn around, she slapped his shoulder with the flat of her blade again.

‘Just a little?’ she teased. ‘Come on Galaren, you don’t have to be gentle with me.’

For the first time since they started sparring, her brother’s lips were graced with the smirk that could rival her own.

‘Just don’t be upset if you come to regret it.’

‘I would never!’ Lithien exclaimed feigning offence. She couldn’t help her own grin, when Galaren laughed at her antics. Actually laughed. He didn’t do that often enough.

Still, she was ready when he threw himself forward, even if she had to mind her steps more to avoid him without falling out of the rhythm.

They circled each other, twirling and lashing, swords meeting time after time with a metallic clang. The Sun slowly climbed higher on the sky, filling the woods with bright light and swirling shadows. Yet no one seemed eager to interrupt them, despite the late hour. Lithien couldn’t be too glad about it. She knew that duties laid heavily on her brother shoulders. And unlike herself, he couldn’t shrug them off as he pleased.

If she could, she would took that burden off of him. But she kept that desire a secret, well aware that he would have never allowed that. Galaren had a penchant for being very protective of her, even if at times it meant allowing her to be reckless and as carefree as a warden could be.

He was only too happy to see her settling into the life in Rivendell, even if he missed her company a lot.

The notion of Rivendell immediately soured her mood and she was punished for the split second of distraction, when Galaren’s sword slapped her thigh with enough force to leave bruises. She jumped away, immediately correcting her stance, but she could already feel the welt rising beneath the fabric of her trousers.

‘What was that for?’ she asked taking as step to the side as he tried to round her. Her thigh stung and she resisted an urge to rub it.

‘You didn’t block’ Galaren stated simply, but the mirth dancing in his eyes belied his serious tone. ‘Be glad that I turned the blade or we would have quite a lot of explaining to do.’

‘Oh? You planned to wound me?’ she run in circle around him, willing the sting out of her muscles. ‘Maybe I am not the one getting distracted too easily’ she shortened the distance between them in a one jump and swung at him.

‘I have no idea what you are implying at’ he had the audacity to shrug, as he sent her blade sliding down the edge of his sword, completely harmless.

Lithien glared at him, switched her weight to the other foot and swung again, only to be intercepted. Galaren’s lips formed a satisfied curve. Lithien rolled her eyes and chose the best possible response.

She stuck her tongue at him.

Galaren laugh echoed between the trees as he parried her following strike.

‘Laugh all you want…’ she bounced his sword away from her face only to immediately follow with a stab aimed at his neck. ‘Which is quite strange on its own’ she landed one more, successful hit on his shoulder and yet he did not stop grinning. ‘That aside, part of your mind is still not focused on the fight!’

With a speed of a striking snake, she lounged at him pushing his blade away with a tip on her own. The she spun in place, so close to him that she felt his breath against her cheek and barrelled into him, hip first, knocking him off balance. The following sweep of the foot sent Galaren sprawling into dirt.

‘This wouldn’t have happened, if you were fully focused on the fight’ she declared, the point of her sword hovering few inched above his face, before she had to dance away from the hand that wanted to grab her ankle. ‘And I would say it is pretty easy to guess what occupies your thoughts so effectively.’

‘Oh?’ the ellon bounced back to his feet, the movement switching fluidly into another attack. ‘I agree that you know me better than most, but you are still wrong this time.’

‘Should I say who then?’ she asked over the clamour of colliding weapons.

To his credit, her brother did not even blink. But when she only narrowly managed to block his following thrust, she knew that her words struck the right nerve.

‘She is quite comely I’d give her that’ the elleth continued, batting his sword away and spinning to get behind his back. Galaren almost growled, feeling the tip of her sword jabbing him delicately between the shoulder blades. ‘Never took you for a man who pays that much attention to appearances, though’ she had to duck, allowing his sword to pass above her head.

‘Mind your words’ he warned. ‘You haven’t even spoken with her’ He swung at her, the movement leaving him wide open. A stupid mistake. One he shouldn’t have made. She pointed it out by slapping her blade against his hip. Harder than she probably should have.

‘I am hardly trying to insult her. You have raised me better than that’ she mocked, blocking his strike. ‘She had done nothing to earn my displeasure. I am well used to women looking at you like this’ she barely managed to step back in time, the blade almost brushing her cheek.

‘Like what?’ he demanded, chasing after her retreating steps. Lithien dove to the side, aiming her next strike into his unprotected side, forcing him to spin out of the way.

‘Do I really have to tell you that? Women admire you and I am sure you are well aware of that’ she didn’t give him time to recover, following him with another strike. ‘I cannot say I blame them, but I never took you for a man who thrive on such attentions.’

‘Don’t be ridiculous…’ the ellon sighed, deflecting the blow.

‘Am I now? We already established that she is pretty. And very different from the ellith like me’ her smile was sharp. ‘We also know that she was quite smitten with you. Why not work with that?’

‘Lithien!’ Galaren warned. ‘You are reaching too far…’

Instead of responding, Lithien barrelled into him again, arms wrapping around his chest. He fought for balance trying to grab at something that wasn’t her hair, but she tipped the both off balance and pitched them into the dirt. He only managed to toss away his sword, before his back met the ground.

He tried to push her off, but Lithien twisted out of his grip, blocking his arms with her knees and pressing him against the ground with one hand, while the other rested her sword near his head. Galaren stilled. She won. Part of him wanted to be proud, but he only felt irritated.

And she didn’t look like she was finished yet.

‘It is really simple. All you had to do is to smile a bit wider ask the right question and she would do whatever you wanted.’

‘How…’

‘Hush’ she placed her finger against his lips. ‘I am not trying to insult her. I am simply describing the effect your face’ she patted his cheek and smirked, ‘has over most sane women. You never had any troubles with finding a willing bedfellow.’

‘Maybe but it doesn’t mean it was just. What about respect?’

Lithien grimaced.

‘I assure you that every man I invited to my bed so far has treated me with an utmost respect. It would be wise if you remembered that. You don’t have to be wedded to enjoy a pleasant company. If you are both willing and I am sure she was...’ she ignored Galaren’s grimace of distaste. ‘Why deny yourself pleasure if you desire it? Why wait for the love commitment and devotion that might not ever happen to you?’

He tried to shake her off, but most of her weight was resting on his upper arms and he was unable to move them, no matter how much he flexed his muscles.

‘Where is that bitterness coming from?’ he asked still trying to reach for his sword despite knowing that it was laying too far. ‘You’re many things Lithien, but pessimistic is not one of them.

A flicker of something hurt and unhappy passed over Lithien features, before they settled into an angry scowl.

‘Love is overpriced’ she spat through gritted teeth, pushing herself up and off of him. ‘In the end it’ll only leave you hurt’ she spun on her heels and stalked off, sheathing her sword. ‘Cut this folly before it will gain roots!’

‘Lithien!’ Galaren called, pulling himself up. ‘Get back here!’

‘I have guard duty!’ was all she said before disappearing between the trees.

Galaren was left crouching on the ground with only his curses for company.


End file.
